The Sun. — London, England, 1808-10-04 00:00:00

4N lII6TORICAL RECITAL OF THE CAMPAIGN OF BUO- NAPARTE IN ITALY, IN THE YEARS 1796 AND 1797. BATTLE OF MILLESIMO. If the battle of IViontenotte was much less glorious BUOizAPARTE than it was disgraceful for D'AR- CiNNTBAIT, that of Millesimo was undoubtedly far more honourable to the Austrian General . PROVERA than to. BUONAPALTE. . We say the Cattle of Mil - /esbri;, not that there-was any ,thine in this a6.lion which merits the name' of a battle, but merely to ac commodate ourselves to the language of the French historian. It is true that BiJONAPARTE, in his offi aecount to the Direetory,.labonrs to aggrandize thenff:aiT.to the utmost of his power; but, amidst all the pomposity of his language, lit is easy to dis cern that with great means he has produced small e fleas. The• 24th Germinal," says he, 'f at break of day General AUGEREAU'S division forced the passes of Millesimo ; while MESNARD and JOUBERT drove the enemy from all the surrounding positions, and , by a prompt and bold manoeuvre, enveloped a corps of 1500 Austrians, under the command of General PROtiERA, who, far from surrendering, gained the summit of the mountain of Cosseria, and entrenched himself in the ruins of an old castle, extremely strong by its position." Mark here, then, the magnificent results of the daring manoeuvre of several French Generals; to surround a detachment of 800 men who do not throw down their arms, but proceed to entrench 'themselves in the ruins of an old castle ! • But,, beyond all doubt, the invincible army of l3voN4pAtai will, speedily dislodge this handfull of men ! No such thing. Let us hear the official re- r t . "General AUGEREAU ordered his artillery to ad vance, .and,a brisk cannonade . took place on both sides, which tasted forseveral hours. ,At eleven in the morning I summoned General PEOVERA to sur render; but a violent 'disCharge of artillery obliged • ' me to repair to the, right: The. negotiation with. ALIGEktEM7 lasted several hours; but the terns which PROVERA asked being unreasonable, and the night approaching,. AUGEREAU formed_Js division into four columns, and led them against the, castle. AIre4dy . TOUBERT, who was at the head ()lone, had' penetrated the enemy's entrenchineinS, when he was strut:l(l)y a ball; he,was supposed to be killed. BEVEL,, who led the second column, was killed ; QUERIN,;, who commanded ;the third, was killed. The night, which was fast approaching, made me apprehensive that the enemy would endeav'our to cut his way, sword. in hand, I therefore Ordered all - the battalions. to joilr," . It is . evident even from this-e'xtraft, that all the advantage, all the glory of the affair . of Mille'siniO, ,re-;ts entirely with 4ovkiaA ; since it appears, from •BUONAPARTZS own dispatches, that this General 'withstood for one whole day the'attack' of forces infinitely superior to his own, that he 'returned 'a . brisk cannonade by a . most aetive fire, which lasted for several hours ; that, summoned to surrender, he would not hear of it ; that he 'reje6ed every capitu lation of which he was not permitted to. diC.late the ,terms.; that when AUGEREAU assaulted the ruins with his numerous division; in four solurrins, PRO VERA defeated them all, killing two French Gene-'. rats, .and dangerously wounded a third*; and that at the conclusion of the day, no impression being made upon hint, he maintained'to imposing an at titude, - that it was feared he would attempt to cut his war - through the surrounding troops: What, now, are weto think of a numerous army, detained duting a whole day by so inconsiderable an obstacle, at the foot of an old ruined castle ? Aud, inc Led, BUONAPARTE, well aware that . some disgrace would attach to him for the long re sistance which he experienced. from an Officer with so vcry trifling a force at his command, anxiously labours to have it . believed that he. had to triumph `over nUtnerous enemies ! To effeal this, he gives .us ~to understand that an Austro-Sardinian - anny. 1.1.1% , e'S in sight. But this army i 3 entirely of his. own creation ; for none such ever appeared at Millesirno. wishes to have it thought that it was the army of ! ' General Cow, who was at the head of the Sardi nian troops, and of eight thousilnd. Austrian auxilia res; but he does not venture to say it, because that * This was Jo JEER -..:, who was aestined49.reiiover, and ii by a noble hand. He was killed in . theA the of the Bo cit etc, the French were totally defeated by the great w A t.,a o W—a man whom tIIJ perfidy of the 'Austrian ca. hinet, and the jealousy of. the Austrian Generals,, basely sa 7 i'rlficed, - when France lay at his feet, and the,tranquillity of Europe was on the point of being ; secured. It is little con ,,,lation to suffering humanityto know that Austria has since pored her guilt in tears of blood. With respect to Jo U. lIXRT, he was every way superior to BUONAPARTE tary talents and not much btloW him in cruelty, in rapa city, in hypocrisy anal the most"tdiJu . s tyranny. At the m 0... meat of his fall, he had been seleled by some Of the Direc tory, v. ho saw all autliorltY escar t ing.from their . feeble grasp, to fill the place of First C'orso I. Had he survived, the bru tai Corsican, who now overawes the Continent, would have lacen shot as a deserter, or suffered to rot in a dungeon as a coward, a poisoner, aid act asiassin I . General was then engaged in keeping in check the army of observation under General SzaHurEa. I-le'iS' deCeimined, ho , .VeNier, at all . events, to be attacked by the euirnies:_. regiments. Observe his expressionsr-iff My - left„;wing blocked up General PROVERA. A number of the enemies' regiments, among others, tnat of BELJOYOSO, endeavoured ' to , force my centre; 'General INIESNARD repelled Meth with great spirit." These enemies' regiments which endeavoured to force BUONAPARTE'S centre, are ab4Olotely like the Austro-Sardinian army, a pure.invention of his own No enemies' regiments attacked. him but that of ' . Beljoyoso. And what was that ? Precisely the one which PROVERA' commanded ! and why does BuoNA PARTE name only this regiment ? Because, with the exception of a few companies of Sardinian militia, all the men that PROVERA had with him - were of the regiment of Beljoyoso ! And how' could this regi ment endeavour to force his centre ? Because PRO VERA did really make a sortie with a view of cutting his way through the French ; but, wiatout success. If this regiment had been accompanied by other troops, BUONAPARTE could not be ignorant of their name ; and he,-who always enters into such details, would not have failed to specify the corps, and those who commanded theta. Enough of this : to have a just idea of the affair of Millesimo, let .us now have recourse to fa6ts, every one of which I can authenticate. Cosseria is an old 'castle belonging to the King of SARDINIA : it is situated, not on the top of a moun tain, as BUONAPARTE says, to exaggerate the difficul ties which he had to overcome, but •9n a rising ground not far from Carcare, in that part which is called the Streights of - Montferrat., This castle is advantageotisly- placed- for defending the road which leads from'Millcsimo toteveiand Mondovi, and it had been strengthened with some tolerable en trencbments. It _was here that PROVE RA had taken up his position , with his 1500 men: Bi/ONAPARTE arrived the day after; and instantly summoned him to surrender:— PROVERA was not a man to be intimidated—he replied, that honour and fidelity towards his Sove 7 reign imposed on him the strongest obligatiOn to defend himself- to the last extremity. When he made this spirited reply; he had still some hope of receiving succours from the Count DE Cow, who - • commanded the army in the ser vice of the King of SARDIN'IA,,. 01 ihith his Omall • . - detachment formed a part. Cow, -- however, was unable to.assist because just as he was about to detach some of his forees,.he learned 'that Cosseria, was closely hemmed in on all sides' by the French'; - and 2dly, because he was obliged to keep his lade army together las mach as possible, to hold General•SEltnutha in- check, who was post ed in.the Valley Of Per . eil, along the TAisTAito' , and ,who had already .m:lde . some hostile Movement's. Though disappointed of • succours, PROVF.RA .Was not wanting to With the few trobps which he had with him, he displayed a courage and intre pidity truly wonderful. During two whole days, he sustained and repulsed the reiterated assaults which BUONAPARTE made with a degree of fury on the old castle of Cosseria. • In these two days the loss of the French was 'enormous. BUONAPARTE has the prudence,to pre serve a discreet silence on the subject. He avows only that two of his four Generals were killed at the head of their respenive columns, and that a third was dangerasly wounded. How many Officers of inferior rank must have falln! and what a butchery of the common men ! But it is too well known that BUONAPARTE, ever since :he took up the trade of war, has always eounted the lives of his soldiers for nothing. PROVERA was at length obliged toyield. NAFARTE speaks of this surrender as if there had been . no capitulation.; there was one, however, and 'a most honourable One.foi this brave General, who ob tained every thing that he demanded;. BUONAPARTE discovered, after two days, that a longer, resistance on the part of so gallant a. man, would fatigue his army, and, perhaps, discourage ir. Besides, he was igno rant, that PROVERA only asked to capitulate, because his amuuition of every kind was totally exhausted. The Articles were literally these " r. General PROVERA and all his Offiders shall keep their arms. " z. The Garrison shall march out of Cpsseria With drums heating, and Ault not lay down their arms till tiTey arrive at the feet of the entrenchments which they have defended. " 3. General PROVERA, and all the Officers under his command, shall be at liberty to retire, with their arms and baggage, to the territories of. their Sovereign. They shall .only be rcquirccltO give their parole not to a6l against the French till they are exchanged." After this indispufable.statement of fans, is it not 'evident that Pnovgaa, and not BUONAPARTE, was the hero of Minesitno ? and that so honourable a capitulation, after so noble a defence, is fully equiva lent to a •Iklory ? It is distressing to add, that so distinguished, an Officer was not advanced in his military carer• as 'he deserved, .to be.. He died about . four years since at 'Venice, in the bosom of his fatrfily. . • (To be eoniinueV.) TO CORRESPONDENTS. *.* We should be glad to insert the Lines from X. Y. on The Potugal Laurel, but as they relate to a Person whose conduct will he the subject of future inquiry, we do not think it proper to say any thing tending to prejudication. " BUON A PAR Tes Soliloquy" is probably a good picture his conscience, if he has any. We hope the Author will soon have an opportunity of writing an Epitaph on the Tyrant. A CONSTANT READER will find the very article which he sent to us, on the Death of a Gentleman, in TN& Sum of an earlier date than his Letter. We are sorry that we mislaid the Letter signed THAarazus. We are much obliged to him for his otter, but we have a regular Correspondent at the place whence his Letter is, dated. MAILS. Aga iv SD—z Dublin, i Waterford. Durt--/ Gotten burgh, t Waterford. PRICE OF STOCKS THIS 1341 Y AT TWELVE O'CLOCK. CCLISOIS - - 661 Omnium THE SUN. SOLIM QUIS DICER.E EALSUM AUDZAT LONDON, • TUESDAY, OCTOBER 4, 1808. By the Egeria, which has arrived at Portsmouth from Oporto, we have received Oporto Papers to the 15th ult. They do not contain any intel ligence of importance, but we are happy to find that there is no foundation whatevet for the assertion contained in the Opposition Papers, respelling the dis Content of the Portuguese in con sequence of the late Convention : on. the contrary, though it 'is admitted that the Terms are favourable to the French, yet these Papers express the utmost satisfaction, that, by this Convention, their Couni y . is freed from-the French, and their capital saved from the destruction which would inevitably' have attended a siege. The Paper of the 14th contains a Letter from Col. MURRAY, to Gen. FREIRE DE ANDRADA, in which he explains most satisfaCtorily the circumstance of the English Flag haivng been hoisted instead of the Por luguese. The former was hoisted entirely froM : misapprehension, and was lowered immediately. No further accounts have reached this Country respecting the Revolution which is stated to have taken place at St. Petersburgh ; we are therefore unable to confirm or contradict the report. It ap pears, however, extremely probable , that such an . event may have taken place. The War with Great Britain and Sweden was from the beginning extreme ly unpopular in Russia, and the privations which the Russians have suffered by the total stagnation of their trade, have; as we have repeatedly stated, produced ,the most serious discontents. Thp atrocious eon dua of BUONAPARTE towards the Spaniards is well known in Russia, and must have produced a strong effeEt ; and when it was known that the. Emperor ALEXANDER was ordered to Erfurth, to receive Biro- NAPARTE'S commands, it is by no means unlikely that the popular indignation should have manifested itself in a decided manner. The Beagle Sloop of War has captured a large French Lugger Privateer, of 1 4 guns, and carried her into Deal. There were four oitie:r Privateers in company, but they escaped by steering different courses. • • , The Opposition Writers, at least some of the more liberal description of those'writets, seem ank loos to clear themselves from •the charge of faction, in the attacks which they have . made upon _Minis ters, as connected with the Convention at POrtugal, which, whether it shall hereafter be proved to have been a measure of necessary policy, or otherwise, was certainly adjusted without the knowledge of Go vernment at home, and which, if it should appear to be an ill-advised arrangement, will certainly be a 'source of great anxiety, as well as an object of reprobation on - the.part of Administration. There -fore, if Fadion shotild be thought too hard a term .to be applied to thetipposition Writers we''particu lady allude , to (it is too applicable to many. others) nobody will deny that in thus implicating. Ministers with the Convention,• those writers have Manifested a strong party spirit, and seem to be in hopes , that the Convention may be rendered a slepping-stone for the restoration of The Talents. We are glad to find that -we are supported by the general sense of the Public, in thus imputing party feelings to men who attack those who are wholly unconne.cled with the measure in agitation. But the Writers in question have, in deed, in one respea, contrived to connect Ministers. with the question, on account of the Officers em ployed on the Expedition to Portugal, with the ex ception of Sir ARTHUR WELLESLRY, whom they begin to think ought not to have been so acrimoni-i ollsly assailed; and that the fault of Ministers is, that they did not on this occasion alter the whole consti tution of the Army. Such have been the tendency of their reasoning on this subjea. As to Sir ARTHUR WELLEsi.Ey, we perceive that the most virulent of his defamers do not now even; mention his name, perhaps from having, found that their gross per - sonality was imputed to motives of p ivate malevo lence, and that Englishmen disdained and despised such attacks upon a meritorious Officer, before he is heard in his defence. Btit a less violent adversary of this gallant, skilful, and successful Officer, has, we find, stated, that, according to private Letters from Litbon, dated the 13th ult. the " Generals and Officers, serving under Sir ARTHUR WELLESLEY, in the battles of the 17th and 21 st August, have ra solved to present to him a piece of plate, value lON guineas, with an appropriate inscription, as a mark of ,their high admiration of his military skill and gallantry on those days, as well as for having protested against the humiliating Convention which was afterwards concluded." The Paper alluded to proceeds to say, " this Manifests their sense of the vi6tories which he so nobly gained; and we rejoice to see that,as to the chara6ter of those vi&ories there is no difference of opinion ¢7 . 7 j where." Yet the day before the same Paper, referring to an Officer who " so nobly gainee viaories of the most important nature, and whose military skill and gallantry have drawn forth the most honourable testimonies of esteem from. hi; brother officers, says, " if the WELT ESLEYS must be employed, for God's sake let it henceforth be itt regulating the Police of the city of Doolio, or co forcing the residence of the Irish Clergy." Bac we should not wonder if the Opposition Writers were to begin to cool even on the subje of the Convention, or find it 'expedient to alter their.: tone, ,for it appears that the bitterest at' tacks on it proceeded on' a false ground, viZ , the supposed permission' for the French to re .moye their plunder ; ; and since by tile Convention we leave relieved our Ally from a dreadful host of Tyrants; have secured the Russian Squadron, and , we doubt not, enabled Portugal to maintain her ill' dependence, it surely cannot be so very bad a NM" pad: as it has been represented by faction, or by paity-spirit, to speak with a moderation hardlY plicable, though, according to all th e i n f or matioli which has hitherto transpired, it is by no means 01 such a nature as in;ghi fairly be expeiSted as ti l° fruit of British val , yar, enterprize, and military skill. U Their Royal Highnesses the Prince of WALES and Duke of SussEx arrived at Ontbersley-court, ttta seat of the Marchioness of DowNsantE, on Friday last, about one o'clock, where they were met by tho Marchioness of HERTFORD, Lord and Lady SEFrogi Lord and Lady CARLETON, and other distinguished persons. The Dukes of YORK and CAMBRIDGE, and th e Earl of CHATLIAM, have returned to town from 3 visit to his Grace the Duke of RUTLAND, at Clie ve ' ley-park, Cambridgeshire. • Yesterday at noon the Marquis DE LA 11°-- ; 5 ,p. t left town, for the purp ose o f return i ng to h i s Nu,- country to join the patriotic standard. This noble A and gallant veteran was acc om p an i e d b y his' "f de-Camp, Secretary, and some other patriotic 0 111 : cers belonging to the army which he corntnandedi ° the North of Europe. On Saturday Colonel HAMILTON arrived. at P, 1 2: - mouth with dispatches of great i m p ortance for u`; jon. Colonel HAM ILTON was to sa il i mtne diatell any of his Majesty's light vessels that were ready 3 • - thats port., A letter from an, Officer at Messina,. after M en d ; Coning the gallant determination of thp•Spani 3r ,. to throw off the galling yoke of th e C or sican, 5 1;; «The Neapolitans are b eg i nn i ng t o pursue-sir lll plan. .I'hey are taxed enormously by their maste r the French, which c auses th e di sa ff e et e no bet themselves to arms. We are in hopes that if to e ): are any way successful we may have another trip t ' Italy." A Danish Privateer h as ca pt u r e d t wo Vesselsg i d r e 3 l2 .. with sugar and coff e e, an d carr i e d t h em into gene. r' p r •. Captain Da CUESTA, 'the Portuguese Offi c ',.,,,,,, es e arrived last week with dispatches for the .1 7 ( )111- 7 Ambassador, left town on Saturday with the act • swer. He will sail from Bristol in the ,Sail An.t °7l2u t ' h , According to letters from Bergen, dated the 2° ' ult. advice has been received there of the capture of three richly laden Chinamen, by a Frebch Ship the Line, in the East Indies. To-day the Lord-Mayor ordered the price °f Bread to be lowered 3d. in the peck—the quartc ril loaf will then be ls. 2d. We have received the' following Extra& of a Let ter, from Stockholm, dated Sept. 15 : *OtiP " The great obj Cat of thi s le t t er i s to inform Y e .. that two days since positive information was / f ; O ceived here that th e R uss i an Fl eet in Baltic $-,,r could not defend itself, or be defended by t t - he ries, against the attacks of the Swedish and Evg: Fleets ; that the Ad m i ra l s o f t h e l atter h a d se`'`l,s- a Flag of Truce t o th e R us Si ans, stat i ng, that,l",,3 the Fleet was sn r r en d ere d , t h ey wou l d blow ev,V'fl., - Ship out of the wat er . I n consequence o f this,'ul tt ferent communications took place, And the Rus' ia . ,, Minister of Marine, S C H EC TUOFF; arrived tow , Petersburgh at Baltic Port. Yesterdliy; much t° surprise of every body, after disPateheS Were . rece` l '.; ed, brought by a Naval Officer from the Fleets, I Was discovered that our Minister, Mr. T t iontiT°l; absolutely embarged on board the VeSsel which brought the dispa t ch es , an d w i t h out a mo ment's de; lay sailed for our Fl ee t o tr B a l t i c P ort . The rea,fr publicly given is, that Si r J AMES S AU MAREZ, ld first Admiral, is d angerous l y ill , an d t h a t he c °Ll no longer attend to the duties re wired of The best informed people firmly believe t Negociations for Peace are-going on, and that 011_ two Fleets of Russia, the one in Lisbon and the ol b : in iialtic Port, will be given up to her, provided , s evacuates Finland, and makes Peace with Sweden and England." • At the grand dinner given by JUNOT to the Ef a f c i and French otficers,.forty of his guests ar e to have been assassinated by the enraged pPPu lae " . him. that